New Zealand Aviation NEWS

Sunday, April 3, 2011

When he lived in the countryside about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, Anders Crofoot enjoyed watching Canada geese fly overhead.

But after 13 years of farming in New Zealand, where geese have repeatedly gorged on his grass and crops and defecated all over his pasture, Mr. Crofoot has reached a breaking point. He wants the bird eradicated from his adopted country.

New Zealand is among several regions in the world where geese are in the crosshairs. Last month, the country declared the Canada goose a pest, announcing that it would no longer manage the bird as a hunting resource.

In a matter of weeks, farmers like Mr. Crofoot will be allowed to shoot geese at will. And airport officials will be allowed to cull the bird. Geese were deemed a significant aviation hazard after a flock flew into a plane’s engines in New York State in January, 2009. The plane lost power and crashed in the Hudson River.

“As the population of Canada geese continues to increase, so does their risk to aviation safety and the damage they inflict to pasture and crops,” New Zealand Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said in a recent statement. “The current status where the geese populations are managed as a game bird is not working.”

Not everyone agrees with Ms. Wilkinson, particularly New Zealand’s hunters. They’re worried about how far the government and farmers might go to reduce flocks. (No cull target has been set.)

In other parts of the globe, the question of what to do with increasing Canada goose populations has pitted governments against animal activists. Last weekend in New York City, more than 100 people gathered at Prospect Park to voice support for the maligned bird.

“End the war on geese and urban wildlife,” one protester’s sign read. “Keep them flying, not dying,” declared another.

Rally organizer Mary Beth Artz said she and others are worried the city will gas geese again this summer. Last July, about 400 of the park’s geese were rounded up and euthanized with carbon dioxide, part of an effort to make the skies around New York’s airports safer for planes.

In all, nearly 1,700 geese were killed in the metropolitan region and nearby Nassau County in 2010, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“They’re just being used as scapegoats,” . “What bothers me is these are defenceless and peaceful birds that so many people love.”

Nearly extinct in the United States in the early 1900s, Canada geese have exploded in numbers in Northeastern and Midwestern states. The New York City region has an estimated 20,000 geese, a figure that more than doubles during migration season.

Even in Canada, communities coast to coast are struggling to manage the bird. Culls have occurred in Nova Scotia, while biologists have suggested Vancouver Island’s goose population is too high and the bird is harming the island’s habitat.

Back in New Zealand, Mr. Crofoot doesn’t know whether his eradication idea will fly with the country’s Department of Conservation. He and other farmers are scheduled to meet with department officials on Monday.

About 50 Canada geese were brought to New Zealand from North America in 1905. At last count, the bird’s population stood around 32,000 in the South Island alone, prompting farmers to lobby the government to significantly curb the number of geese.

“They’ve been dubbed the grubby goose,”. raises sheep in the South Island and is a pest management spokesman with Federated Farmers. “They consume a lot of grass and, just as importantly, excrete a lot of dung.”

By Mr. Crofoot’s estimate, five geese eat as much grass as one ewe.

Jay Graybill of Fish and Game New Zealand, a hunting organization that had been managing the bird, doesn’t believe the South Island’s goose population is out of control. He noted the organization fielded an average of 13 complaints from farmers in the region each year.

Now that the government has taken over responsibility for geese, A clear plan is required on how the bird will be managed. Eradication, he argued, isn’t needed, nor is it realistic.

“I think it would be very difficult,”. referring to the eradication suggestion. “The birds are widespread, and they’re very cunning.”

2. New Air NZ planes begin US, UK flights

Air New Zealand's three new planes will start flying the return service to Los Angeles and London today.

The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300 aircraft - equipped with a new interior - just before Christmas.

It now has two more and the Civil Aviation Authority has just approved the use of the new Skycouch seats in economy.

Air New Zealand spokesman Mark Street said there has been good feedback from passengers travelling on the ad hoc services since January.

Another two triple seven planes will be delivered in the next 12 months.

Each plane can carry 338 passengers.

The plane's interior is officially known as the Skycouch but has come to be known as Cuddle Class for its seating arrangement.

The Skycouch is the first economy seating that allows the traveller to lie flat, or a couple to curl up.

Chief executive Rob Fyfe said there has been huge interest in the new aircraft.

3. STANSTED: Never a dull day for Nick Barton, who keeps airport flying

NO TWO days are ever the same for Stansted Airport's new boss Nick Barton.

On Tuesday he welcomed bmibaby as the airport's third budget airline, and on Friday he will jet out to Copenhagen where Stansted is nominated for a best low-cost airport award.

At the start of May, he will fly to Kuala Lumpur, where Virgin boss Richard Branson will serve him beverages while wearing a full stewardess outfit – complete with lipstick and stockings – after the billionaire lost a bet.

A typical day may see him welcome the US President, or deal with thousands of frustrated holidaymakers grounded by an ash cloud.

His job sounds glamorous, but he works 18-hour days, only really sees his wife and three young children at weekends and constantly feels the heat of Ryanair breathing down his neck as the world's busiest airline demands impeccable airport efficiency.

The 44-year-old, who took over as managing director in December after six years as a director, said: "I love my job. It's challenging and exciting. People enjoy travelling and there is an infectious buzz around the airport.

"I never have a boring day. Every single day I am tested by something different."

Stansted is the third biggest airport in the UK, with up to 80,000 passengers passing through every day.

But although London is the most sought-after destination in the world – ahead of New York, Paris and Dubai – Stansted does not operate to capacity.

Reaching capacity is Nick's key target, as well as cementing their status as the airport with the most destinations in Europe and targeting more long-haul flights, hopefully to the USA.

"I am confident that we can get the airport operating to its full capacity.

"We have the terminal and the infrastructure. We were down on traffic in 2010, but Stansted is very much led by the UK economy.

"While Heathrow is driven by hub traffic, where people touch down and then fly somewhere else, we are driven by the UK's economic performance, which has suffered in the past few years.

"But I believe we are close to the end of the tunnel."

Last May hopes of 13,000 new jobs and a £9 billion injection to the local economy were grounded for good after a controversial plan for a second runway at Stansted was scrapped.

Environmental campaigners rejoiced, but the airport was left to rue a missed opportunity.

"I believe aviation is a very powerful tool for growth and economic benefits," said Nick. "I think the economic case was very strong for a second runway, although nobody was in denial about the environmental impact.

"Some suggest we don't care about the environment, but we have a very good environmental track record. We are not just pursuing growth for the sake of it, and we strive to reduce our carbon footprint. We charge airlines more to use inefficient, noisy planes.

"But it's time to park the idea of the second runway, and focus on how we can move forward and increase performance."

Stansted Airport employs 1,350 people, while 11,500 in total work at the airport, and Nick pointed to the economic significance of the site.

"Many small to medium enterprises in this region rely on us, and we are one of the biggest single-site employers in East Anglia," .

"We have had no compulsory redundancies during the most difficult period for aviation since Orville Wright took off, and eventhough BAA was told this week to sell Stansted, I believe any new owner would want to keep the infrastructure.

"Flying is about supporting businesses and providing the social benefit of allowing people to travel and have fun."

Nick's top travel tip for people in the region is to take advantage of flights from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur.

From there, you can take budget flights to Bali for £20, or end up in New Zealand or Australia on the cheap.

"From Kuala Lumpur, you have access to the most beautiful and exotic locations in the world, and it's very cheap," said Nick.

Air New Zealand's three new planes will start flying the return service to Los Angeles and London today.

The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300 aircraft - equipped with a new interior - just before Christmas.

It now has two more and the Civil Aviation Authority has just approved the use of the new Skycouch seats in economy.

Air New Zealand spokesman Mark Street said there has been good feedback from passengers travelling on the ad hoc services since January.

Another two triple seven planes will be delivered in the next 12 months.

Each plane can carry 338 passengers.

The plane's interior is officially known as the Skycouch but has come to be known as Cuddle Class for its seating arrangement.

The Skycouch is the first economy seating that allows the traveller to lie flat, or a couple to curl up.

Chief executive Rob Fyfe said there has been huge interest in the new aircraft.

NZ security chief gives insight into earthquake aftermath

The head of New Zealand’s aviation security entity provided some insight into the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake when he was in Canberra for a conference this week.CEO of Aviation Security Service of New Zealand, Mark Everitt, gave delegates some very human perspective:Japan may have made us pale into insignificance somewhat, but the reality is this. We are a country of four and half million people and we’ve got to pay for a $16 billion earthquake to rebuild one of our cities. So for us the scale of change is probably very much the same.I’ve got 164 staff at Christchurch airport, two on maternity leave, and I know each and very one of them now very well.The earthquake hit just before one o’clock, the early shift was just finishing, a very busy time with international departures for us. The terminal was moderately damaged during the course of the earthquake and our base at the airport was quite extensively damaged. There were no injuries apart from one broken elbow of a security officer who was knocked to the ground in the terminal. ..There was one air traffic controller killed. She was in a café in the city having lunch, the earthquake hit, she ran outside, she spoke to some people on the street, the earthquake stopped, she remembered her cell phone, she went back into the café and the café collapsed…Of the 164 staff, 16 of them have lost their homes, totally destroyed, while the others have had varying amounts of damage to their houses. And the aftershocks, like a 5.1 last Sunday night, are continuing to erode people’s properties. And some of my staff say to me, Mark I haven’t bothered to claim yet because I’m watching my house being slowly destroyed by the aftershocks…This is going to be five years. You think about when you smash a glass, you lament about that for a minute, then you clean it up and get on with life. But in Christchurch they don’t. In Christchurch if the sherry glasses are smashed on the floor, they did clean them up, but now they just sweep the glass into the corner, because it’s going to happen again. And they have little hangars of chairs where they put the crockery and favourite things underneath.And of course some people are still going home at night to no power and no water.So here is an old English city, with a very sophisticated lifestyle, and this is what they are going through at the moment.I’ve given my staff earthquake leave. Who would ever think you’d be giving people earthquake leave? We’ve given then six days leave, forcing them away from the airport; and we’re bringing staff from other parts of New Zealand and that’s going to cost us over a million dollars. We are going to do it over a three-week cycle so that every shift gets six days off so they can go home and reflect on the things that they should be doing in their life rather than coming to work. And they have been coming to work. And the wives and partners of our people have been walking to the airport because they don’t feel safe in the home by themselves.And now that our badly damaged base is half-repaired it’s turned into a community centre. We have campervans for the people whose homes have been destroyed and for those people who want to borrow them to take them away to get out of Christchurch for a little bit of time.So there are these very simple welfare sorts of things that we are trying to achieve in the short term. But in the long term I don’t know some of the answers. We are obviously using psychologists to help us with that process…With the airport itself, the priority immediately from the Government …was to get the airport open again. And security was a very big part of that.There was water under the terminal… but it was decided within a couple of hours that the terminal could operate again, but in the international phase only. There were parts of the domestic terminal that were damaged sufficiently that it wasn’t good to operate from that location.So we were operating in international mode, so passengers turning up for flights for several days, because Air New Zealand put 747s at Christchurch and just evacuated people for $50. If you wanted to get out of town, there was a 747 at the airport. If you didn’t have $50 you turned up to a community centre and you went on a bus to the airport and they flew you out on a Hercules. If you had 50 bucks and just wanted to go away for a holiday to Auckland for a weekend, you turned up at the airport and there was a 747 every couple of hour.

3. The sky's the limit for college

An aviation training organisation is soaring to new heights.

The International Travel College of New Zealand has been named a 2011 Asia Pacific Top 10 Authorised Training Centre by the International Air Transport Association.

"To be recognised this way is fantastic for us," account manager Ceri Jenkins says. "It's further recognition of the work we do.

"It gives us more credibility with employees and high schools and other places where we recruit students."

ITC was launched in 1996 and offers full and part-time training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries with campuses in Botany and central Auckland.

"A large part of our success is the passion of our tutors – they really do care about our students," Mr Jenkins says.

"A big focus for us is getting students a job in travel and tourism when they graduate – anyone who wants a job after they graduate will get a job."

The Botany campus taught 500 students last year.

A unique airport simulator plays a key part in their success.

"Role play is an integral part of what we do in our courses. It makes students feel more comfortable with their environment when they get into the workplace."
Qantas to cut routes, aircraft, staff ahead of $140m profit hit

QANTAS Airways today said it will reduce international and domestic flying capacity, retire aircraft and cut management positions in response to natural disasters and higher jet fuel prices.

Australia's flag carrier said its second-half profit was now expected to take a $140 million hit from the cost of natural disasters, including flooding and Cyclone Yasi in Queensland and earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand. That financial impact would come in addition to an expected $25m hole from the grounding of its A380 super-jumbo fleet following an engine explosion last November.

Qantas said it was too early to estimate the likely impact of the events on its result for the 2012 financial year.

Domestic capacity growth in the six months to June 30 will be reduced to 8 per cent from 14 per cent, while growth in international capacity will slip to 7 per cent from 10 per cent, Qantas.

Up to four weekly Jetstar flights from Australia to Japan will be suspended between April and August, as will a Qantas service between Perth and Tokyo, along with other changes, including the early retirement of two Boeing 767 aircraft.

Chief executive Alan Joyce said today: "We need to act decisively to respond to rising fuel costs and natural disasters, just like we did during the global financial crisis, to ensure the ongoing sustainability of our business."

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Apparently it’s your fault, my fault and the fault of everyone else who ever considered the word “choke” part of polite conversation.

Says our coach that, because of that tormented label, they had failed to put a rather average New Zealand team to the sword.

I wonder, coach, where’s that “up yours” attitude that has made civilisation what it is today? When they told Amelia Earhart that flying across the Atlantic was not a woman’s place did she apologise for having a dream, retiring quietly to the kitchen for a future of apple pie and mom’s best biscuits? Did she swap her aviation ambitions for domestic bliss? Did she trade her leathers for an apron and a friggen floral skirt?

Hell no boss man, she raised 1 x middle finger to her pubic naysayers and went on to become a legend of her time.

When the Springboks faced an All Black team that was twice as good and three times as polished in the 1995 World Cup final did they attempt to just “stay in touch”, save face, hold on for dear life, emerge from the battle with their honour intact, or did they raise one times gigantic finger of stubborn resilience – getting in the face of the opposition and grinding out a famous win that united this land? Eh?

Hell even Julius Malema, a perennial underachiever and guaranteed imbecile has managed to carve a profitable existence out for himself.

Just because someone calls you an empty vessel of political rhetoric with little or no value to add to a modern democracy, a forgotten child of a revolution long dead, a power-hungry mongrel and perfect example of everything that is wrong with African politics, it does not mean you cannot rise to the top of the steaming pile of corruption and lawlessness that is the ANC.

Whatever we may think of the kid, he’s got some balls.

So I ask you this Corrie, “Why do you guys allow yourselves to be intimidated by a word?”

The fact of the matter is a simple one sir. Most South Africans will not begrudge their team for losing a game against opposition that played better on the day, as long as their team played a reasonable game themselves...and as long as the loss is not against the international equivalent of the Upington under 19C team.

When you fold in a messed heap chasing a score most provincial teams would have managed at a canter it says little about your ability and skill chief - but everything about your attitude, your lack of self belief and good old fashioned “**** you” spirit of resilience that has enabled humanity to conquer the highest mountains, discover new lands and reach for the stars.

When you say “it’s your fault” for using a frivolous word to describe the team’s psyche it sends out the message that this group of talented sportsmen are soft of mind and meek of heart. When you point to the shackles of the past as the ball and chain that stops our boys from achieving the success we all dream of, it says that we are a people who live in the past, who fear the future, who dare not take one giant leap...

I don’t buy that.

Here’s to that wondrous day when this team asks us to sit and rotate. I know I’d be more than happy to oblige.